Saiai no yume
by eKnight
Summary: As an old friend resurfaces, Shintaro is forced to live with the one secret he never planned to face again. However, does this encounter have more to offer than an enchanting universe? Rated T for upcoming content.
1. A Forgotten Dream

_A short opening. Sort of mysterious, but very plain._

* * *

Shintaro walked across the street as the light switched colors. Next to him were three of his friends who were all in his class, childhood buddies. There was Izumi, Hideki, and Yoshio. They had all just come from school and were headed to the shopping district. Things were quiet and especially now since school had been over for nearly two hours. He listened as Yoshio and Izumi argued over something. They were always doing this and Shintaro had learned to tune it out over the years.

"I don't care what _you _think, Izumi-chan. A girl's opinion isn't relevent in the area of gaming." Yoshio said, trying to sound as professional as possible.

Izumi frowned, glaring back him. "Whatever..." Shintaro could've swore he heard her muttering something like, 'Sexist idiot.', but he wasn't sure.

Coming up on their right was a flower shop. Shintaro recognized it as the one his mother always went to. As he glanced through the window of floral beauty, he saw someone inside looking at the selection of flowers; it was a girl. She lifted her head to look at Shintaro, red eyes piercing his heart as she smiled. Something inside him awakened and he froze in the middle of the sidewalk, staring at the window.

"Shintaro-kun," He could hear Izumi calling out his name, her voice echoing into his dazed state. "What's wrong?"

Shintaro shook his head and looked back at Izumi, Yoshio and Hideki sharing concerned stares. "I-I'm fine…I just…" He looked back into the window only to find that no one was there. "I just thought…that I saw someone…" Shintaro tried shoving the thought away while he and his friends continued on to the mall, but he couldn't. _That face…is too familiar…_

* * *

"I'm back!" Shintaro called out as he entered through his home's front door. He had a few bags on his arm which were filled with a couple of games and snacks.

"Oh, good," His mother's voice sounded from the kitchen and the smell of spices reached his nose. "Something came for you."

He paused as he was taking off his shoes, "What? What came?" He put his bags down on the kitchen table and looked at his mother who was working over the stove.

"I put it in the living room. Someone sent you some flowers and there's a card that's filled out," She looked back at him and smiled. "Dinner is almost done."

"Thanks." He left the kitchen and went into the living room. On the table he found a crystal clear vase filled with Poppy flowers. On the table was a white card just like his mother had said. Shintaro's first thought went to the familiar face he'd seen earlier. He picked up the card and opened it, though he was feeling paranoid enough.

'_Have a nice birthday, Shintaro-kun.'_

–_Aichi Shino_

Shin felt a heat wave coming through his face, and also excitement. He had been right! That girl in the florist's _had_ been Shino!

"Shintaro, come and eat now!" His mother shouted.

"Coming!" His mind was swirling with questions. After all these years, Shino had finally spoken again. The one thing he couldn't figure out was what happened to her…


	2. Back to Yesterday

_More background..._

_Also a shortening of Shintaro's name (I was trying to emphasize his youth...)._

* * *

It was midnight, just about the time when little Shintaro had fallen asleep. His birthday had passed already, the tenth one of many to come. His dreams began as soon as his mind went blank. Pretty soon, little Shin was dreaming in his own little world.

"Hey..."

A voice was intruding. Shintaro ignored it at first, but it only came again.

"...Heeeey..." It was prolonged.

Shintaro then proceeded to do what his instincts said and he turned his head several times in his imaginary world to see where the echo was coming from.

"I'm up here!" The voice said as if acknowledging his sudden awareness.

Shintaro paused. 'Up here'? That usually meant... He looked above his head. A pair of bright red eyes were staring down at him...or was it up? Shintaro looked around him, but all he saw was a very clear shade of white which seemed to stretch for miles. He looked back up at the pale face and blinked. "What are you doing up there?" He asked the strange girl.

"I don't know. What are you doing down _there_?" She seemed to tilt her head to the side, giving him a friendly smile.

Shintaro didn't answer for a second as he tried to comprehend her ignorance. Needless to say, she was odd. "What's your name?" He asked.

The girl blinked twice and her head tilted towards the other side. "My name," She made a quick move to kick off from the blank surface and she flipped forward, floating to Shin's level. "Is Shino." Her smile widened.

Her name was a little similar to his own which was surprising for some reason. Now he could see that she had blue hair which reminded him of ice. Strange coloring of the hair always caught Shin off guard. "My name is Shintaro!" He grinned, stretching out a hand.

The girl Shino just stared at his hand. "What am I supposed to do?" She asked.

"You...." Shin looked at her. Was she serious? "You're supposed to shake it. That's what you do when you meet someone." He took her hand and shook it to show her. "Like that."

Shino smiled at him and took his hand in hers. "Come on!"

Before Shin could react, Shino yanked him along and soon they were running. "Wait! Where are we going?!"

"Don't worry!" Shino looked back at him and laughed.

The feeling that something was about to happen crossed Shintaro's mind, but all he saw was an endless, white plane. He let Shino lead him on into an endless path until it seemed that they were getting nowhere.

"Hold on!" Shino shouted abruptly.

"What-" Suddenly, the ground underneath him started to break; it almost looked like it was about to shatter. "S-Shino-chan!"

"Don't let go of my hand!" Shino shouted.

Just as she said that, the ground finally gave. Shintaro let out a fearful yelp and his hand tightened around Shino's, his eyes snapping shut. He was waiting for the inevitable drop, but nothing happened. He opened one eye and looked down...it wasn't like anything he had expected though. He opened his other eye to fully view what he thought to be a hallucination. It was water...

"Pretty, isn't it?" Shino spoke, looking back at him. "It's always so blue and peaceful."

Shintaro was looking down at the water while Shino was talking. It was, in fact, blue and it was very clear. He got an exotic feel from it. In the distance, he saw golden sand shimmering at the border of a long line of tanned trees. However, upon looking back to Shino, Shintaro found that they were actually flying. "Where...are we?" He asked.

Shino glanced back at him with her eyes glowing. "My world." She let loose an excited giggle and their flight began to speed up.

Shintaro wasn't used to flying, not that way Shino did. He obeyed her though and never let his grip on her hand loosen. "_Your_ world?" He was a little mixed up. So much so that he forgot he was dreaming...


	3. Déjà vu

_Back to the present..._

* * *

Shintaro sat in his seat while his teacher continuously went over the passage from the literature book. He was sitting in the back, trying to pay attention, but he could hardly do even that! He looked out the window which revealed the school grounds. He had so many questions, so much he wanted to tell Shino. Honestly, there was a part of him which obviously had gripped the hope that she hadn't abandoned him, but that was how it felt.

Shintaro exhaled softly, his face propped up with his fist as he stared into nothing. There was just that moment of disappointment when he ten; it was all he could remember about the hours he realized that she wasn't coming back. He waited for weeks after that. He waited like a puppy would for its master, hoping that she would turn up in no time. But she didn't. Even today, he felt stupid for ever having his hopes stirred. And one question was still gnawing away at his gut. Where was she now?

"Nakamura-san, are you paying attention?" His teacher asked with a frown.

"Y-Yes, sensei!" He answered, looking down at his book. 'S_hino-chan…'_ His gaze lowered even more as if to try and read between the lines of the now meaningless words. He felt sick.

* * *

"Shintaro-kun, what's wrong?" Izumi asked him, her eyes drilling into him like truth needles.

Shintaro forced the best smile he could and looked up from the ground to Izumi. "Nothing, I just can't believe I'm fifteen today." It was Friday luckily, so he would have plenty of time to adjust himself before the party began. "Are you coming to the party?" He asked only change the subject. They were coming to her house now and he would soon be alone to walk and sulk all he wanted on the way to his own home.

"You bet!" She grinned up at him. "I bought you a really great gift! So don't chicken out, okay? It took me a week just to get it!" Izumi punched him lightly on the arm and came to a stop next to the gate of her small, but quaint home. "See you tonight!" She winked at him and turned around to push the black gate open and headed inside, Shintaro looking on with indifference.

He continued on down the path alone, hoping to change out of his school uniform as soon as he could. He shoved his hands into his pockets and stopped on the sidewalk as he noticed a streetlight hanging above the street. A small crowd was forming all around him with people waiting to cross the street. As he waited, he could see the other crowd across the street doing the same thing. All he did was take a glance, but when he tried to look away, his sight caught hold on a small, red hair bow tied around someone's head. His eyes widened and he froze completely. _'S-Shino-chan!'_ he thought and his face lit up. The light turned green and the crowd dispersed in either direction. Then, right before his eyes, she disappeared. _'I've got to stop this…'_ Shin crossed the street, his head lowered with disappointment. _'I can't lose myself…to these illusions…'_

* * *

It was Monday again. Shintaro yawned noisily while he listened to Izumi ranting on about her weekend. She leaned against a desk where Hideki was listening in slow amusement and Yoshio was shutting her out, staring at the group of girls in the front of the room.

"Wow," Yoshio sighed. "That's great."

"Huh? Thanks!" Izumi grinned...at least until she saw where his gaze led. "Yoshio-kun! You aren't even listening!"

"Who can bother when you never shut up?" Yoshio said indifferently.

Izumi frowned and her face showed anger. "Why…you..!"

Suddenly, their teacher came into the room. "Everyone take your seats, please." He ordered.

Shintaro watched with a smile which gave away his need to laugh as Izumi glared menacingly at Yoshio as she retreated to the desk two spaces behind his own. Hideki chuckled and turned forward while Yoshio sat down behind him.

"Before we begin today," Their teacher began. He motioned to the door as if telling someone to enter. "Class we have a new student who's moved to Osaka from Tokyo. Her name is Aichi Shino."

'_A new student?'_Curiosity striking him. The name wasn't necessarily familiar… Shintaro felt a sting of denial sinking through his sanity.

In walked a fragile body in the school's uniform. Shintaro's heart nearly stopped. Even though her hair was perfectly dark brown and her eyes were an intimidating electric green, he easily saw through the disguise. She raised a hand in greeting, "It's nice to be here." She smiled.

'_No…this cannot be happening…' _Shin thought, feeling like his forehead had a vein popping out as he stared in disbelief. He could only watch as she strolled between the aisles, passing him up, and sat down at the single empty desk behind Yoshio. _'This has to be a dream!'_ Shintaro shrieked into his own skull.


	4. The Cloudy Truth

_Continued... Flashback included._

* * *

Shintaro nibbled away at a rice ball, trying to ignore the things he was hearing. Right now he could feel his eye twitching. His small bento rested on the cold, hard surface in front of him while he sat with four people under the outdoor shelter.

"Wow! I can't believe your family left Tokyo, Shino-chan!" Izumi exclaimed. "You look a little young to be in our class though." She picked out a slice of an apple from her own choice of foods and munched on it.

Shino shrugged, eating up a small rolled omelet. "I'm sixteen," She clarified.

Shintaro spit out his jelly drink. That was a total lie!...Wasn't it?

"Uh," Shino choked back her laughter. "It's nice in Osaka though. Besides, Tokyo was getting a little too crowded anyways." She smiled at Izumi.

"What's your family like?" Hideki spoke up.

"My family? Well, my mother died when I was eight and my father works around the country."

Shintaro watched, eating the last of his rice. She seemed so...calm to him. He was confused, wondering if he should confront her. It was frustrating him to no end. What was she doing here?!

* * *

_"Say...Shino?" Shintaro folded his arms behind his head and lay there in the golden plain while he watched the puffy clouds pass over, casting shadows over Shino and himself._

_"Mmm?" Shino's eyes were closed in her relaxed state and she was sprawled out on the ground with her head directly in front of Shintaro's._

_"Your world...how is that possible?" His head remained still and another large shadow was cast over the plain before the fervant rays of the sun began to beat down once more in the vast, coastal sky._

_"Didn't I tell you before?" Shino opened one eye. "It's the place between dreams and reality. It just _is_."_

_"What about your parents?" Shintaro's head turned onto its side while he waited for an answer. Shino was quiet and he was worried that he might have said something to offed her._

_Shino sighed quietly and her other eye opened. "I'm an orphan."_

_Silence followed. All that was heard was the wind as it whistled softly through the long waves of flora._

_"Oh..." Sitting up, Shin looked down on her in apprehension. "I'm sorry."_

_Shino rolled her eyes and raised a hand to pinch his nose, "Grow up."_

* * *

"Shino-chan!" Izumi waved at the girl from across the school yard. "Goodbye!"

Shino waved back and watched Izumi depart with the boys named Yoshio, Hideki, and...Shintaro. She stood alone now in the school yard, looking up to the clear sky. The afternoon was cooling off, at least it was to Shino. She'd been so used to the conservative environment she called home that the constant changes in the air were anything but friendly to her...even though it was the beginning of the fall. Her gaze lingered on the school's gate like she was waiting for something, but the silence dragged on.

"Shino-san." A woman's voice approached, a familiar one.

"How goes it...Asuka-sama?" Shino turned her head back to the woman with a forced smile.

"Everything's been great," The woman, Asuka, replied as she held a medium sized bag over her shoulder which was filled with paper and books. "Shintaro was very happy about those flowers you sent." Asuka stood next to her now. She was at least three feet taller than Shino.

Shino gave a small nod. "I am glad..."

"Shino-san...what's been happening back home?"

There was a minute of hesitation before Shino's breath was finally heard. "It's getting worse, Asuka-sama. I thought leaving Shintaro-kun behind would help...but things only got more complicated." She sighed heavily, looking at the ground. "I had to leave last month because if I didn't..."

Asuka's expression told Shino that she understood what she was implying. "How much time...do you have?"

The sun was glowing crimson now, rays reflecting across the city. Shino's neutral face was reduced to a somber appearance. "Until the winter." That time was a few months away, but in Shino's mind it could be tomorrow...


	5. Faint

_"Shino-chan?" Shintaro looked at the girl as they both watched the night sky light up with the moon's presence. The grass around them was scattered around small patches of bright pavement, probably marble from the feel of it. The air was a little humid, but every few minutes there would be a light breeze present._

_"What is it?" She asked. Shino didn't make eye contact as she stood up from leaning against the old oak behind her. She looked around at the clusters of grass and stood at the center of the pavement, waiting as she stared up at the crescent beauty above._

_"I....I don't have to leave, do I?" Shin gazed at Shino's back, for once studying the odd clothing she always wore. It looked like a strapless dress to him. There was a thin line of red on the strapless neckline and the edges which stretched around her thighs were jagged. A pair of white boots devoured her legs, only a couple of inches above her knees and there was an absence of heels; they were completely flat on the bottom._

_"Shintaro-kun, you can't just stay here," Shino tittered. "I'm sure a lot of people would miss you if you went missing." She raised one of her arms into the air and her hand seemed to be clutching something as the wind picked up again._

_"But...I like it here," Shintaro frowned at the ground. Frankly, Shin was infactuated with not only the natural beauty of the world Shino called home, he liked that there was no one here, nothing to threaten him like the bullies at his school often did. _

_Shino sighed, thinking that he was having trouble dealing with life at home. Her arm slowly wove in the air from side to side and then she brought it down in a quick motion. It sounded like the wind was blowing at her feet when her hand finally opened and the massive amount of force caused the grass around them to flap about until hundreds of fireflies were unleashed from their depths. Shino placed a hand on Shin's shoulder, looking slightly amused. "Shintaro-kun..._you_ belong in the real world and _I _belong here. I'll always be here for you." She offered an affectionate smile._

_Shin beamed, "Promise." He lifted his hand, pinky extended. There was a moment of silence as he watched Shino stare at his hand, clueless. He couldn't help but snicker. Shin took her hand and locked his pinky with hers. "Promise." He said once more._

_Shino responded with a bow of the head. A firefly flew in between them as it was followed by another which was glowing repeatedly. Shintaro and Shino watched the fireflies scatter and crowd, the moon never fading._

* * *

Shintaro remembered waking up the next morning, well rested and in a good mood. Shino's frequent visits were usually the cause. Even now, he could look back and feel embarrassed for counting the days down. Shino would usually show up every three nights and Shintaro was always eager for the days to end. _'She stopped at eight...'_ Shintaro thought as he tried to get comfortable in his twin sized bed. The sheets felt heavy on this night and the darkness in his room was oppressive. He could hear his own thoughts like he was talking out loud, even over the roar of the intolerable silence. What he meant by Shino stopping at eight was the number of visits she took part in. It had been a total of eight nights when on the ninth she didn't manifest. He thought of it as a simple delay and went to sleep anyways. By the time six more days had swept by, Shin was growing impatient and worried. A week went by and still nothing. By the time his eleventh birthday came around, Shin had moved on...or so he thought.

Shintaro jerked a little when he heard a door shut. He knew that it was his mother. Whatever meeting or work that had occurred after school hours must have been important because he could see from his bed that his clock read, 10:02 PM. Shintaro didn't realize school stayed open that late..._ 'I don't think it does...'_ He thought with an audible sigh. _'Maybe she had to go pick up something...'_

Half an hour passed before Shintaro finally drifted off.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but he was being awoken by a familiar voice.

"Shintaro-kun...." It said softly.

His neck twitched, but his slumber stayed.

"...Shintaro-kun..."

The voice's tone was strained this time and Shintaro felt a cool embrace welcoming him. He shivered a little and his eyes finally opened. There above him were a pair of bright red eyes focusing down on him, partially tired and filled with some other emotion he couldn't place. He eyed the red bow tied onto the tiny head where blue hair brushed against pale cheeks. She looked content.

"S-Shino-chan? What...are y-you doing here?" Shintaro noticed that his head was on her lap, but that wasn't where he was bothered. They were in a familiar, white plane. It looked the same, never stained, never faded. It was just a neverending pure white.

"I came to visit," A small smile appeared on her lips. "I'm sorry..." Her fists were clenched on the ground on sides of the boy in front of her and her head bowed.

"What happened to you...?" Shintaro asked quietly as he looked anywhere except at Shino's face. "You just...disappeared."

Shino closed her eyes slowly and she answered, "I'm sorry for that...but I'm here now."

Shintaro felt drowsiness sweep over him and his eyes began to droop.

"Sleep." Shino told him in a whisper.

Shintaro did so willingly. He fell back into his quiet slumber, his head resting on Shino's lap. In his tired state, Shintaro didn't realize that Shino never answered his question properly.

* * *

**_The next day..._**

"So, Shino-chan," Yoshio sat down next to the girl across from Shintaro and his arm wrapped around her shoulder. "You know, I've never said this to a girl, and such a pretty one like yourself, but...I hope your day is as radiant as your smile." He grinned.

Shintaro's eye twitched and he suddenly found himself glowering at Yoshio in annoyance. On the other side of Shino, Izumi gawked at Yoshio. However, Hideki found this all quite funny and he was nearly crying beside Shintaro.

Shino laughed nervously and gave a sheepish smile, saying nothing.

Shintaro finally exhaled slowly as Hideki's laughter ceased. "Yoyo, you're hopeless."

"And stupid! Idiot, Yoshio-kun!" Izumi added harshly.

"Sorry, Yoshio-kun," Shino apologized. "I'm only available for one person, and one person only."

Everyone at the table responded, "Huh?!"

Izumi looked at Shino in worship, "Oh! Shino-chan, who is it? Oh! I bet it's that Ryu Matsumoto, or the handsome Matsu Hayashi! No, wait! You like the hunky Aki Sato!" Izumi's train of thought kept on going.

Shino shook her head at all of the names, "No, none of them."

Hideki raised an eyebrow, wondering why she turned down all of the names of the popular guys. Girls usually loved them. "Are you...y'know..._that_ way?" He asked.

Yoshio stifled a snort and Izumi nearly ripped out Hideki's hair. "You idiot! Of course she's not!"

"Then who _do_ you like, Shino-chan?" Yoshio asked curiously.

"I desire only one person," She abruptly stood up and pointed a finger straight ahead, her other hand on her hip. "You, Shintaro-kun!"

There was silence. Shintaro could swear he felt himself melting out of his chair. However, it was just his face; Shintaro was blushing.


End file.
